Try a Pérail
I live in the Aveyron department in France, and my husband is a consultant for farmers. When he visits sheep-raising country, his clients often offer him a large round of Roquefort to take home. Despite my fondness for this famous blue-veined cheese, I usually have so much of it on hand that I don’t know what to do with it. Unfortunately, we don’t get as many gifts of Pérail.
In yesterday’s SFGate.com, Janet Fletcher introduces her readers to this soft, round sheep’s milk cheese which is often produced by the same farmers who sell milk to the huge Roquefort-producing companies.
As Fletcher reports, Pérail was no more than a local by-product until the early 1990’s. Specifically, in 1994, a group of Pérail makers formed the “Association de Défense et de Promotion du Pérail.” Their movement has been a clear success, as Pérail is now a popular cheese all over France, and also available in the USA, albeit only in its pasteurized form.
According to the article, “There is not a great deal of character here, but the texture is luscious and the mild flavors, such as they are, are balanced.” This is likely true of the pasteurized versions sold in the USA, but I find that the Pérail I purchase in Aveyron runs the gamut from pleasantly mild to barnyard bold. In general it is an excellent cheese – certainly a favorite on my family’s cheese platter—and I hope American cheese-lovers will take Ms. Fletcher’s suggestion and give Pérail a try.
